Comedy, sci-fi collide in ‘The Librarians’

Published 12:00 am Monday, December 8, 2014

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Indiana Jones meets Barney Fife as ÔThe LibrariansÕ becomes a series

By George Dickie, Zap2it

Rebecca Romijn says what sold her on joining the new TNT series ÒThe LibrariansÓ was the thumbnail description given her by executive producer and co-star Noah Wyle: ÒItÕs Indiana Jones if Indiana Jones is played by Don Knotts.Ó

ÒI was a huge Indiana Jones fan growing up,Ó she says, Òand I wasnÕt familiar with ÕThe LibrarianÕ movies. And then when I saw them and realized the comedy we were going for, I fell even more in love with it. … I love comedy and I love that genre and so combining the two, it was a no-brainer.Ó

The hourlong comedy/sci-fi series, which premieres Sunday, Dec. 7, is a continuation of the trilogy of successful TV movies that the cablenet has produced over the past decade that starred Wyle as Flynn Carsen — aka the Librarian — an eccentric career college student with 22 degrees whose duty it is to protect historical and often magical artifacts housed in a secret chamber beneath New YorkÕs Metropolitan Public Library. Over the past decade, fans have watched him morph from nerdy bookworm into swashbuckling hero as heÕs saved the world from evil time and time again.

The new iteration has Wyle in a more limited role — the actor has another commitment to TNTÕs ÒFalling SkiesÓ — which brings in a whole new cast of characters to help Flynn with a job that has gotten too big for one person. They include Eve Baird (Romijn, ÒFemme FataleÓ), a counterterrorism agent; Jacob Stone (Christian Kane, ÒLeverageÓ), an Oklahoma oil worker with an IQ of 190 and an encyclopedic knowledge of art history; Cassandra Cillian (Lindy Booth, ÒDawn of the DeadÓ), a quirky young woman with unique auditory and sensory abilities; and Ezekiel Jones (John Kim, ÒNeighborsÓ), an expert on new technologies. Also joining the cast is ÒNight CourtÓ Emmy winner John Larroquette as cantankerous caretaker Jenkins and Matt Frewer as evil cult leader Dulaque, while comedy veterans Bob Newhart and Jane Curtin reprise their roles from the movies.

The first two episodes provided to journalists introduce the new characters and feature Wyle quite heavily, although that will change as the series progresses and Wyle disappears to shoot his other series. Still, it becomes apparent that there are developing feelings between Carsen and Eve, though how far that relationship can go Romijn isnÕt saying.

ÒThey are polar opposites,Ó she says. ÒI think she doesnÕt like him much at first, and as she becomes convinced of this hidden world of hidden magic, I think she becomes intrigued by him. She thinks heÕs interesting. And the path that they start to head down is very slightly romantic at the beginning. It does get a little more complicated. And of course, because we donÕt have Noah for the whole season, he bops in and out; heÕs in a handful of our episodes but heÕs not in all of them. He stays very much alive throughout the season. But their relationship becomes a little more complicated and weÕll see that play out.Ó

Rebecca Romijn stars in ÒThe Librarians,Ó premiering Sunday on TNT.

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Rebecca Romijn stars in ÒThe Librarians,Ó premiering Sunday on TNT.

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